What years did Willie Mays play?

Willie Mays played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1973.

Was Willie Mays a pitcher?

No. Willie Mays was a position player (Outfielder).

How many home runs did Willie Mays hit?

Willie Mays hit 660 career home runs with 3,293 hits.

What teams did Willie Mays play for?

Willie Mays played for 3 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1948), the San Francisco Giants (1951–1952, 1954–1972), and the New York Mets (1972–1973).

How many MVP awards did Willie Mays win?

Willie Mays won 2 MVP awards, in 1954 and 1965.

What awards did Willie Mays win?

Willie Mays won 2 MVP awards (1954 and 1965), the Rookie of the Year award (1951), and 12 Gold Gloves (1957–1968). He was selected to 20 All-Star Games.

What were Willie Mays's career stats?

In 3,005 games, Willie Mays had 3,293 hits, 660 home runs, 1,909 RBI, 2,068 runs, and 339 stolen bases, with a .301 batting average.

What position did Willie Mays play?

Willie Mays played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Willie Mays and how much did he weigh?

Willie Mays was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds.

How many home runs did Willie Mays hit each season?

Willie Mays's home runs by season: 0 in 1948, 20 in 1951, 4 in 1952, 41 in 1954, 51 in 1955, 36 in 1956, 35 in 1957, 29 in 1958, 34 in 1959, 29 in 1960, 40 in 1961, 49 in 1962, 38 in 1963, 47 in 1964, 52 in 1965, 37 in 1966, 22 in 1967, 23 in 1968, 13 in 1969, 28 in 1970, 18 in 1971, 8 in 1972, and 6 in 1973. His most in one season was 52, in 1965.

What was Willie Mays's career batting average?

Willie Mays batted .301 over his career, with 3,293 hits in 10,924 at bats.

How many RBI did Willie Mays have?

Willie Mays drove in 1,909 runs in his career.

How many All-Star Games did Willie Mays make?

Willie Mays was selected to 20 All-Star Games.

Willie Mays

Outfielder · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1951-1973)

Willie Mays was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1973 for 4 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons, a span of 23 seasons. In 3,005 career games, he hit .301 with 3,293 hits, 660 home runs, and 1,909 RBI. Willie Mays was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 and was a 20-time All-Star, a 2-time MVP, a Rookie of the Year, a 2-time All-Star Game MVP, a 12-time Gold Glove, and a Roberto Clemente Award. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 74,062.

AVG (Batting Average):: Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):: Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):: Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):: On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated October 17, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 1979

AVG .301

HR 660

RBI 1,909

H 3,293

OPS .940

PIV 74,062

Position: Outfielder
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 5'10" / 170 lb
Born: 5/6/1931 in Westfield, AL, USA
Died: 6/18/2024 in Palo Alto, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1951-05-25
Last Game: 1973-09-09
Hall of Fame: Inducted 1979 (BBWAA)
Awards: 20× All-Star · 2× MVP · Rookie of the Year · 2× All-Star Game MVP · 12× Gold Glove · Roberto Clemente Award

Full name: Willie Howard Mays

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Willie Mays — Batting
PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
237.0	198.0	43.0	68.0	12.0	4.0	6.0	43.0	35.0	1.0	11.0	.343	.447	.535	.982

Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Willie Mays — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1949	147.0	123.0	30.0	46.0	8.0	3.0	4.0	29.0	21.0	1.0	10.0	.374	.469	.585	1.054
Listed seasons · 1	147	123	30	46	8	3	4	29	21	1	10	.374	—	—	—

Career Batting Statistics

Willie Mays — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
3,005	10,924	2,068	3,293	525	141	660	1,909	339	1,468	1,526	.301	.384	.557	.940	74,062

Career AVG .301 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +19.4% above league average.

Career OBP .384 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — +19.6% above league average.

Career SLG .557 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — +47.3% above league average.

Career OPS .940 vs. league average .699 across their career seasons — +34.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Mays Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1948	BBB	NAL	13	43	6	10	2	1	0	6	1	4	0	.233	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	NY1	NL	121	464	59	127	22	5	20	68	7	57	60	.274	.260 (+5%)	.336 (+6%)	.385 (+22%)	.721 (+15%)	1293.6
1952	NY1	NL	34	127	17	30	2	4	4	23	4	16	17	.236	.252 (-7%)	.326 (avg)	.369 (+11%)	.696 (+6%)	104.3
1954	NY1	NL	151	565	119	195	33	13	41	110	8	66	57	.345	.261 (+32%)	.333 (+23%)	.390 (+71%)	.723 (+49%)	5509.2
1955	NY1	NL	152	580	123	185	18	13	51	127	24	79	60	.319	.258 (+23%)	.332 (+20%)	.393 (+67%)	.726 (+46%)	5376.5
1956	NY1	NL	152	578	101	171	27	8	36	84	40	68	65	.296	.258 (+15%)	.331 (+11%)	.397 (+40%)	.728 (+27%)	3149.0
1957	NY1	NL	152	585	112	195	26	20	35	97	38	76	62	.333	.257 (+29%)	.323 (+26%)	.391 (+60%)	.715 (+44%)	5198.3
1958	SFN	NL	152	600	121	208	33	11	29	96	31	78	56	.347	.257 (+34%)	.324 (+29%)	.394 (+48%)	.719 (+39%)	4912.3
1959	SFN	NL	151	575	125	180	43	5	34	104	27	65	58	.313	.256 (+22%)	.323 (+18%)	.392 (+49%)	.715 (+35%)	3935.9
1960	SFN	NL	153	595	107	190	29	12	29	103	25	61	70	.319	.255 (+25%)	.323 (+18%)	.387 (+43%)	.711 (+32%)	3669.7
1961	SFN	NL	154	572	129	176	32	3	40	123	18	81	77	.308	.258 (+19%)	.328 (+20%)	.399 (+46%)	.727 (+34%)	4090.1
1962	SFN	NL	162	621	130	189	36	5	49	141	18	78	85	.304	.257 (+18%)	.326 (+18%)	.393 (+56%)	.719 (+39%)	4893.8
1963	SFN	NL	157	596	115	187	32	7	38	103	8	66	83	.314	.246 (+27%)	.308 (+23%)	.371 (+57%)	.680 (+41%)	4682.6
1964	SFN	NL	157	578	121	171	21	9	47	111	19	82	72	.296	.250 (+18%)	.312 (+22%)	.377 (+61%)	.690 (+43%)	4935.5
1965	SFN	NL	157	558	118	177	21	3	52	112	9	76	71	.317	.245 (+29%)	.310 (+28%)	.371 (+74%)	.682 (+53%)	5751.0
1966	SFN	NL	152	552	99	159	29	4	37	103	5	70	81	.288	.248 (+16%)	.309 (+19%)	.376 (+48%)	.685 (+35%)	3722.8
1967	SFN	NL	141	486	83	128	22	2	22	70	6	51	92	.263	.242 (+9%)	.306 (+9%)	.357 (+27%)	.663 (+19%)	1648.6
1968	SFN	NL	148	498	84	144	20	5	23	79	12	67	81	.289	.236 (+22%)	.298 (+24%)	.340 (+43%)	.638 (+35%)	3213.0
1969	SFN	NL	117	403	64	114	17	3	13	58	6	49	71	.283	.248 (+14%)	.320 (+13%)	.369 (+18%)	.689 (+16%)	1229.8
1970	SFN	NL	139	478	94	139	15	2	28	83	5	79	90	.291	.253 (+15%)	.325 (+20%)	.385 (+31%)	.711 (+26%)	2652.8
1971	SFN	NL	136	417	82	113	24	5	18	61	23	112	123	.271	.249 (+9%)	.316 (+34%)	.365 (+32%)	.682 (+33%)	3196.5
1972	SFN	NL	19	49	8	9	2	0	0	3	3	17	5	.184	—	—	—	—	49.8
1972	NYN	NL	69	195	27	52	9	1	8	19	1	43	43	.267	.243 (+9%)	.310 (+29%)	.353 (+26%)	.664 (+28%)	49.8
1973	NYN	NL	66	209	24	44	10	0	6	25	1	27	47	.211	.256 (-18%)	.325 (-7%)	.378 (-9%)	.703 (-8%)	-246.4
Career · 24 seasons			3,005	10,924	2,068	3,293	525	141	660	1,909	339	1,468	1,526	.301	—	—	—	—	73,018

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Willie Mays — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
34	121	17	30	6	0	1	15	17	12	.248

Playoff Batting by Year

Willie Mays — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1973	NLCS	NYN	1	3	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	.333
1973	WS	NYN	3	7	1	2	0	0	1	0	1	.286
1971	NLCS	SFN	4	15	2	4	2	1	3	3	3	.267
1962	WS	SFN	7	28	3	7	2	0	1	1	5	.250
1954	WS	NY1	4	14	4	4	1	0	3	4	1	.286
1951	WS	NY1	6	22	1	4	0	0	1	2	2	.182
1948	ALC	BBB	7	25	4	7	1	0	5	6	0	.280
1948	NWS	BBB	2	7	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	.143

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (3037 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Willie Mays — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	1516	5301	1033	1610	336	947	.304
Away	1521	5704	1055	1716	326	982	.301

Last 10 Games — Batting

Willie Mays — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO
1973-09-09	NYN	WSN	W	2	0	0	0	2	1
1973-09-03	NYN	PHI	L	0	0	0	0	1	0
1973-09-03	NYN	PHI	W	4	0	0	0	0	1
1973-08-30	NYN	STL	L	1	0	0	0	0	1
1973-08-29	NYN	SDP	W	4	0	1	1	0	2
1973-08-26	NYN	SFG	L	3	0	0	0	2	2
1973-08-25	NYN	SFG	L	1	0	0	0	0	0
1973-08-24	NYN	SFG	W	4	0	1	0	0	1
1973-08-23	NYN	LAD	L	4	1	2	1	0	2
1973-08-21	NYN	LAD	W	0	0	0	0	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Willie Mays — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	84	68	657	37	15	61
3B	1	0	0	1	0	0
OF	2854	2610	7112	196	143	60
SS	2	0	0	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Willie Mays — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1948	BBB	OF	12	12	17	1	2	0
1951	NY1	OF	121	0	353	12	9	2
1952	NY1	OF	34	0	109	6	1	2
1954	NY1	OF	151	151	448	13	7	9
1955	NY1	OF	152	152	407	23	8	8
1956	NY1	OF	152	150	415	14	9	6
1957	NY1	OF	150	149	422	14	9	5
1958	SFN	OF	151	150	429	17	9	2
1959	SFN	OF	147	143	353	6	6	2
1960	SFN	OF	152	152	392	12	8	2
1961	SFN	OF	153	151	385	7	8	3
1962	SFN	OF	161	159	429	6	4	1
1963	SFN	OF	157	155	397	7	8	1
1963	SFN	SS	1	0	0	0	0	0
1964	SFN	1B	1	0	6	1	0	1
1964	SFN	3B	1	0	0	1	0	0
1964	SFN	OF	155	151	370	10	6	4
1964	SFN	SS	1	0	0	0	0	0
1965	SFN	OF	151	148	337	13	6	4
1966	SFN	OF	150	147	370	8	7	2
1967	SFN	OF	134	123	277	3	7	0
1968	SFN	1B	1	1	9	0	0	1
1968	SFN	OF	142	129	301	7	7	2
1969	SFN	1B	1	1	6	0	0	1
1969	SFN	OF	108	96	199	4	5	0
1970	SFN	1B	5	4	34	3	0	3
1970	SFN	OF	129	117	269	6	7	3
1971	SFN	1B	48	39	384	27	11	43
1971	SFN	OF	84	77	192	2	6	1
1972	SFN	OF	14	13	29	0	0	0
1972	NYN	1B	11	9	75	2	1	3
1972	NYN	OF	49	44	109	3	3	1
1973	NYN	1B	17	14	143	4	3	9
1973	NYN	OF	45	41	103	2	1	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Willie Mays Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
First Base	83
Third Base	1
Shortstop	2
Left Field	13
Center Field	2829
Right Field	13

Awards & Honors

Willie Mays — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1971	Roberto Clemente Award
1968	All-Star Game MVP
1968	Gold Glove	OF
1967	Gold Glove	OF
1966	Gold Glove	OF
1966	TSN All-Star	OF
1965	Gold Glove	OF
1965	Most Valuable Player
1965	TSN All-Star	OF
1965	TSN Player of the Year
1964	Gold Glove	OF
1964	TSN All-Star	OF
1963	All-Star Game MVP
1963	Gold Glove	OF
1963	TSN All-Star	OF
1962	Gold Glove	OF
1962	TSN All-Star	OF
1961	Gold Glove	OF
1961	TSN All-Star	OF
1960	Gold Glove	CF
1960	TSN All-Star	OF
1959	Gold Glove	CF
1959	TSN All-Star	OF
1958	Gold Glove	CF
1958	TSN All-Star	OF
1957	Gold Glove	CF
1957	TSN All-Star	OF
1954	Most Valuable Player
1954	TSN All-Star	OF
1954	TSN Major League Player of the Year
1954	TSN Player of the Year
1951	Rookie of the Year
1951	TSN Rookie of the Year

Award Voting History

Willie Mays — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1971	Most Valuable Player	NL	19th	11.0	336	0
1968	Most Valuable Player	NL	13th	14.0	280	0
1966	Most Valuable Player	NL	3rd	111.0	280	0
1965	Most Valuable Player	NL	1st	224.0	280	9
1964	Most Valuable Player	NL	6th	66.0	280	0
1963	Most Valuable Player	NL	5th	102.0	280	0
1962	Most Valuable Player	NL	2nd	202.0	280	7
1961	Most Valuable Player	NL	6th	70.0	224	0
1960	Most Valuable Player	NL	3rd	155.0	336	0
1959	Most Valuable Player	NL	6th	85.0	336	0
1958	Most Valuable Player	NL	2nd	185.0	336	3
1957	Most Valuable Player	NL	4th	174.0	336	1
1956	Most Valuable Player	NL	17th	14.0	336	0
1955	Most Valuable Player	NL	4th	165.0	336	0
1954	Most Valuable Player	NL	1st	283.0	336	16
1951	Rookie of the Year	NL	1st	18.0	24	18

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Willie Mays (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Willie Mays

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See Willie Mays in Another Era

Translate Willie Mays's peak season across eras →

Willie Mays: the record in brief

Willie Mays's season table begins in 1948 with Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB now counts as major league; the bio gives the date of the MLB debut as May 25, 1951, and the final game as September 9, 1973. Mays played for the Birmingham Black Barons (1948), the New York Giants (1951 to 1957), the San Francisco Giants (1958 to 1972), and the New York Mets (1972 through 1973). Mays played primarily as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Born on May 6, 1931, in Westfield, AL, USA, Mays was listed at 5 feet, 10 inches and 170 pounds. Mays's death is recorded on June 18, 2024, in Palo Alto, CA, USA. On the record, Willie Mays was born Willie Howard Mays.

Mays's career batting table shows 3,005 games, 10,924 at bats and 3,293 hits, a .301 average, plus 660 home runs, 1,909 RBI, and 339 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .384 clip and slugging .557, Mays finished with a .940 OPS.

Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Mays

What years did Willie Mays play?: Willie Mays played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1973.
Was Willie Mays a pitcher?: No. Willie Mays was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Willie Mays hit?: Willie Mays hit 660 career home runs with 3,293 hits.
Is Willie Mays in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Willie Mays was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.
What teams did Willie Mays play for?: Willie Mays played for 3 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1948), the San Francisco Giants (1951–1952, 1954–1972), and the New York Mets (1972–1973).
How many MVP awards did Willie Mays win?: Willie Mays won 2 MVP awards, in 1954 and 1965.
What awards did Willie Mays win?: Willie Mays won 2 MVP awards (1954 and 1965), the Rookie of the Year award (1951), and 12 Gold Gloves (1957–1968). He was selected to 20 All-Star Games.
What were Willie Mays's career stats?: In 3,005 games, Willie Mays had 3,293 hits, 660 home runs, 1,909 RBI, 2,068 runs, and 339 stolen bases, with a .301 batting average.
What position did Willie Mays play?: Willie Mays played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Willie Mays and how much did he weigh?: Willie Mays was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds.
How many home runs did Willie Mays hit each season?: Willie Mays's home runs by season: 0 in 1948, 20 in 1951, 4 in 1952, 41 in 1954, 51 in 1955, 36 in 1956, 35 in 1957, 29 in 1958, 34 in 1959, 29 in 1960, 40 in 1961, 49 in 1962, 38 in 1963, 47 in 1964, 52 in 1965, 37 in 1966, 22 in 1967, 23 in 1968, 13 in 1969, 28 in 1970, 18 in 1971, 8 in 1972, and 6 in 1973. His most in one season was 52, in 1965.
What was Willie Mays's career batting average?: Willie Mays batted .301 over his career, with 3,293 hits in 10,924 at bats.
How many RBI did Willie Mays have?: Willie Mays drove in 1,909 runs in his career.
How many All-Star Games did Willie Mays make?: Willie Mays was selected to 20 All-Star Games.